Strand delivery



Feb. 14, 1961 w. F. PAULSEN 2,971,683

STRAND DELIVERY Filed March 1, 1955 IN VENTOR WILLIAM F PAULSEN ATTORNEY United States Patent O STRAND DELIVERY.

Filed Mar. 1, 1955, Ser. No. 491,345 4 Claims. c1. ag s- 97 This invention relates to handling of strand material on the run, concerning especially delivery of traveling strands in orderly arrangement.

Orderly collection, of strands on the runbecomes increasingly difiicult as their rate of travel increases; this is readily apparent in. the textile industry, where practicable production and processing of filament bundles at rates exceeding one thousand yards per minute have been realized and collection of the product in containers for storage until subsequent backwinding is customary. Many attempts at high-speeddelivery of a strand onto a collecting surface of one kind or another have failed because of entanglement and related difiiculties; means suggested for this purpose frequently have been complex in design, unwieldy to operate, and expensive to maintain.

A primary object of the'present invention is controlled delivery of a rapidly traveling strand into a receptacle without entanglement. Another object is simplified delivery of a traveling strand in helical configuration. Other objects of this invention, together with means and methods for accomplishing the various objects, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying diagrams.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a form of apparatus useful according to this invention. Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of another form of apparatus useful according to this invention. Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modification of the apparatus of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a front elevation of the apparatus of Figure 3.

The present invention is directed toward the delivery of all forms of strand material as here defined. The term strand herein means monofilament, multifilaments, tow, sliver, staple yarn, thread, ribbon, rope, and other articles capable of being handled as described, regardless of their composition, cross-sectional appearance, or method of construction and despite exemplification by such textile material as tow (a bundle of substantially continuous filaments).

In general, the objects of thisinvention are attained by passing a strand traveling lengthwise vertically downward then diverting it from the vertical to move at a moderate angle outward therefrom and simultaneously imparting movement about the vertical axis thereto after the point of diversion. Accomplishment of this requires means adapted to forward the strand, mere dropping of the strand under its own weight not being satisfactory, means adapted to direct it outward from-the vertical axis, and means adapted'to move it about the vertical axis, as desired. The strand-forwarding means conveniently operates by inducing fiow of fluid, as in a surrounding conduit, to entrain the strand; the strand-directing means includes a conduit directed outward from the point of diversion with its inner end constrained to remain nearby; and thethird means includes drive means adapted to move the outer end of the conduit of the strand-directing means at constant angular velocity so asto describe a circle in a plane perpendicular to the vertical axis,

this conduit thus movingas a. whole to describe, a cone,

with its apex near the point of diversion. The requisite means may be arranged variously, as indicated or suggested below.

' In the exemplification of such apparatus by illustration in Figure 1, the top half of main tube 1 is mounted in vertical shaft 2 rotatably supported by bearing assemblies 3 and 3' carried in frame 4.depending from support 5, which has aperture 6 within which the top of the shaft fits without touching. Annular cover 7 having flange 8 extending down to fit into a recess in the support aperture closes the top of the shaft and surrounds the top end of the tube, the inner diameter of the tube approximating that of the hole in the. cover. Just below the bottom end of the shaft, the. main tube bends into anarcuate portion and terminates in exit end 9. Drive pulley 10 is afiixed to the shaft near the top thereof just beneath the cover. A jet assembly-located above the support comprises venturiv tube 11 flanged at the bottom to rest on the top surfaces. of the support and the cap, housing 12 screwed at the bottom onto the upper end of the venturi tube, fluid-intake tube 13 fitted into one side of the housing, and strand-inlet tube 14 threaded into the top of the housing and extending vertically downward to terminatein the. flared top of the. venturi tube. Strand 19 extends through the inlet tube, into and through theventuri tube, through thehole. in the cover, and into and out of themain tube, as shown.

Operation of this apparatus is readily understood. Air or other fluid is injectedthrough the intake tube. into the jet housing, from which it flows into the venturi tube from around the bottom end of the inlet tube for. the strand. The cap, which fits against the. flanged bottom of the venturi tube, covers the top of theshaft and the main tube closely enough to prevent excessive leakage of air alongthe outer surfaceof the shaft, al-. most all of the air proceeding into and through the main tube. A strand introduced at the top of the inlet tube by suitable feeding means (not shownyis drawn by the air flow induced therein to exit also from the bottom end of the main tube. Rotation of the main tube by means of a belt (not shown) contacting the drive pulley causes the emerging strand to assume a helical configuration, as illustrated. The radius of. the. helix so formed in the emergent strand depends primarily upon (considering the physical properties of the particular strand, of course) velocity and angle of emergence, air resistance, and gravitational attration, and it may vary appreciably between the delivery apparatus and the collecting location. The pitch of the helical configuration usually decreases downward because of air resistance when the strand emerges from the delivery tube with a large vertical component of velocity but may be substantially constant or even increase downward at lower velocities because of gravity. No unusual materials are necessary to construction of this apparatus. For the sake of structural strength and rigidity, most of the parts ordinarily will bemade of steel or similar metals. Cap 7, which fits closely over the rotating shaft, advantageously is made of nylon or similar abrasionaresistant material-that requires little or no lubrication. Portions of the apparatus with which the traveling strand may come into contact, including especially the lower end of the main tube, may be coated or fitted with ceramic materials especially resistant to wear. The dimensions of the apparatus, with the possible exception of the combination of the venturi tube and the strand-inlet tube whose respective tapers manners dimensions are selected as is well known in the ai'fiaije not critical, 7 1 i 5 Figure 2 shows a modification of the apparatus in which tube 21 is mounted inside shaft 22-rotatably mount Patented Feb. 14, 19 61 ed upon upper and lower bearing assemblies 23 and 23'. The lower bearing fits inside hole 26 in support 25, and the upper bearing is carried in a housing mounted upon H frame 24. Pulley 20 is afiixed to the top end oftthe shaft. Air is introduced into nozzle 34 afiixed by a set screw onto exit end 29 of the main tube a short distance from arcuate portion 28 of the tube through flexible tubing 30, which terminates at its upper end in channel 31 in the bottom end of the shaft. This channel erupts through the side of the shaft into annular space 32 formed by stationary housing 35 and cap 36 threaded together and fed by intake tube 33 fitting in one side of the housing. The cylindrical housing fits at the upper end in side packing gland 37 and against disc 38 adjacent the underside of the lower bearing, against which the gland is drawn by bolts 39 through bolt-holes in the support. Packing 41 compressed about the shaft by being drawn against the disc prevents leakage of air from the top of the housing, and packing 42 compressed about the shaft by threading of the cap onto the housing prevents leakage of air from the bottom thereof. With the exception of locus and method of air injection operation of this ap-. paratus is similar to that of the apparatus previously described; yarn (not shown) is drawn through the main tube by air flow induced by exhaust of air through the tapered nozzle, and the tube rotates to lay the strands down in like helical configuration.

For ease of adjustment of the angle of diversion of the strand from the vertical and elimination or substantial reduction in sliding contact between the strand and the main tube, the modification shown in Figures 3 and 4 is preferable. The portion below the bottom of the shaft is shown in side section in Figure 3, the rest being constructed conveniently as in Figure 2 or in equivalent manner; Figure 4 illustrates the external appearance of the sectioned portion viewed from the front. In this construction the main tube is discontinuous where the I strand path (dashed line in Figure 3) deviates from the vertical. Flange 50 depending from shaft 52 in which main tube 51 is mounted supports horizontal pin 53 at a location slightly removed from the vertical axis. 'The pin constitutes an axle for wheel 56 mounted thereon at a distance from the axis of the shaft to place the axis tangential to the peripheral surface of the wheel and constitutes also a pivot for bracket 55 intervening between the flange and the wheel. The bracket supports secondary tube or nozzle 54 with its axis also tangential to the peripheral surface of the wheel at an adjustable angle of diversion selected by means of nut 47 on screw 57,- which passes through a hole in the bracket coinciding with arcuate slot 58 in the flange. Flexible tubing 59, long enough to accommodate the greatest desired diversion angle, extends to the nozzle from achannel'in the bottom of the shaft. As the strand is forwarded by air flow through the nozzle of this apparatus, it passes in substantially nonslipping'contact about the wheel, which rotates accordingly. The whole assembly depending from the rotating shaft and main tube moves likewise about the vertical axis, and the general action upon the strand is similar to that of the previous arrangements; however, substitution of the rolling contact for the sliding contact previously provided for is advantageous in reducing wear on the apparatus and in preventing possible snagging or breakage of the filaments or other structures comprising the strand. Operation of this apparatus is exemplified below.

" Apparatus constructed as just described was used to deliver tow approximating 1,000,000 denier. (roughly 100,000 individualfilaments) at 1,200 yards per minute (y.p.m.). The tow was fed to the apparatus by conyentional forwarding apparatus and guides. The radius ofthe wheel located at the point ofdiversion between the main and the secondary tubes was 1% inches. The secondary tube was set at an angle of 47 f fromthe yfertieal, and the shaft was rotated at 350 revolutions per minute (r.p.rn.), giving the end of the nozzle a speed of about 700 y.p.m. The air pressure was regulated-to produce air flow emergent from the nozzle at a rate equal to three times the yarri'speed, with the nozzle end position about 12 inches above the top of a collection drum 60 inches in diameter and 60 inches high. The average delivery speed of the resulting helical configuration in the collecting drum was a bit under 500 y.p.m., representing almost 60% reduction from the original rate of travel of the strand. The drum was rotated at 3 r.p.m., the center of the drum being offset 10 inches from the vertical axis of the rotating apparatus. Uniform deposition of. the tow in overlapping loops without entanglement of the tow or filaments wasachieved, as evidenced by later withdrawal of it evenly and smoothly from the drum for further processing.

The angle of diversion, which is readily adjustable in the most recently described form of apparatus of this invention and which may be varied by substituting differentlyangled main tubes in the forms previously described, should be kept within limits conducive to satisfactory delivery of the particular strand being processed. Corresponding adjustment may be made in the length of the delivery tube below the point of diversion, while the main vertical tube may be made as short as is compatible with successful introduction of air and supporting of the rotary elements of the apparatus. The envelope of the helical configuration of strand delivered is dependent upon the angle of diversion and height of the delivery nozzle above the collecting surface, as well as upon the speed of rotation of the nozzle and the physical characteristics of the strand. Any of the first two or three variables may be varied for optimum lay-down of the strand. Of course, a mere slight deviation of delivery nozzle from the vertical will not accomplish the desired orderly arrangement at practicable tube length or overall height of the apparatus, instead permitting the strand to pile upon itself with consequent entanglement. Furthermore, when walled containers are used for collection, air issuing from the exit end of a delivery'tube set at too small a diversion angle may eddy about in the container and may disarrange the delivered strand; as exemplified above, the separate delivery and collection apparatus should be so oriented that the air emerging from the former bypasses the latter without difiiculty. 7 Large diversion angles generally are less objectionable, although with some strands they may foster rubbing of the emergent strand against the mouth of the delivery tube and excessive air consumption; except in the type of apparatus last described, bending of the strand through large angles also increases the possibility of breakage of it or its component filaments or other structures. For most purposes and with most strand materials angles below about 30 will be found to be inadvisable and are not comprehended here by the term moderate; usually angles above about will be unnecessary, as well as uneconomical.

The advantages of simplicity of construction and operation of the entire apparatus are readily apparent. One of the most pronounced benefits of the present invention is its accommodation to rapid rates of strand travel; especially, the downward movement of an emergent strand may be raised above the .rate of free fall without adverse efiect because the strand can be laid down substantially horizontally; too, within a'few. feet air friction limits the free fall of many strands to speeds under a hundred yards per minute. The present invention is directed particularly to forwarding-speeds on the order of thousands of yards per minute, as attained by the described means and methods of operation. Other advantages inherent in the practice of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art.

tinuous strand in a helical configuration into a receptacle 75 which comprises a hollowvertical shaft,supporting means including a bearing for rotatably supporting the upper end of the shaft, supporting means including a bearing for rotatably supporting the lower end of the shaft, drive means for rotating the shaft about its vertical axis, stationary housing means surrounding a portion of the shaft and forming therewith an annular air space, a pair of packing rings located respectively in upper and lower portions of the stationary housing means and compressed about the shaft to prevent leakage of air from said annular air space during rotation of the shaft, vertical strand-conducting means for guiding a traveling strand downwardly through the shaft, angled strand-conducting means affixed to the lower end of the shaft for guiding a traveling strand from the end of the shaft downwardly and outwardly at a diversion angle of 30 to 75 with said vertical axis of the shaft, convergent nozzle means mounted on the lower end of the angled strand-conducting means to form a jet of strand-forwarding air discharging from the nozzle directly into said receptacle, inlet means into said annular air space through the stationary housing for introducing air under pressure, and nozzle supply means including an air tube connecting said nozzle means with said annular space through a channel in the shaft, the combination of air supply means and nozzle means being adapted to pull a strand through the strand-conducting means at speeds of over 1000 yards per minute and discharge the straand in a helical configuration into said receptacle during rotation of the shaft.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said vertical strand-conducting means and said angled strandconducting means constitute two separate tubular conduits, the upper end of the angled conduit being located near the lower end of the vertical conduit in position to receive a strand therefrom.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim'2 wherein nonslip guide means comprising a freely rotatable Wheel is provided between the lower end of the vertical conduit and the upper end of the angled conduit to guide the strand into the angled conduit as it is pulled from the vertical conduit.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the angled strand-conducting means is mounted in fixed azimuthal relation to the vertical strand-conducting means by bracket means for adjusting the angle within said diversion angle of 30 to References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 1,046,822 Madden Dec. 10, 1912 1,328,615 Carter et a1 Jan. 20, 1920 1,342,190 Taylor et al June 1, 1920 2,100,588 Claus Nov. 30, 1937 2,369,481 Modigliani Feb. 13, 1945 2,447,982 Koster Aug. 24, 19 48 2,634,491 McDermott Apr. 14, 1953 2,638,146 Rounseville et a1 May 12, 1953 2,671,745 Slayter Mar. 9, 1954 2,672,712 Reiter Mar. 23, 1954 2,812,850 Pape Nov. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 441,362 Great Britain Ian. 17, 1936 

